


His Furbiness, Pope Furbus I

by ferbisthewerb



Category: The Lorax - Dr. Seuss
Genre: Catholicism, Furby, Kansas, Thneedville, long furby, pope, squishmallow, squishy - Freeform, truffula
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:21:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23865175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferbisthewerb/pseuds/ferbisthewerb
Summary: A wholesome love story between (Y/N) and Pope Furbus, a luscious long furby,  that takes you both from the Vatican City to Kansas to Thneedville and beyond in a world riddled with a new plague.
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1: A Papal Collision

Twas a quiet day in the Vatican city. The pope looks up toward the heavenly walls of the Sistine Chapel as he regally slithers toward the exit, ready for a leisurely stroll. However, at the same time his papal minions open the doors for His Furbiness, you unfortunately stop to admire the chapel right at the entranceway. “Ooooof!” you squeak as you fly down the steps and straight onto the marble stairs. As you descend toward the bottom stair, you notice a furry snake-like creature making his way through the doorway with his mechanical eyes blinking rapidly in surprise. His coat must be the most luscious thing you have ever seen, and even as you fall, all you can think about is holding him. you know the beautiful creature can only be one thing: a Long Furby. you gasp again in surprise right before you black out on the cold floor.

You regain consciousness with a pounding headache on a cushioned palette in a room covered in fur. Black fur, orange fur, yellow fur, red fur, pink fur, leopard print fur, rainbow fur, and fur with colors indescribable by the English language. Then a long strand of snow-white fur begins to move. Soon, you see the face of the very Long Furby you saw exit the chapel. “What is your name?” he asks as he glides toward you.  
“(Y/N)” you croak, oddly captivated every time his graceful beak moves.   
“That was quite a tumble, little one,” the unnamed Furby whispers to you. His voice is as soft as his fur looks.   
“And who might you be? Where am I?”   
“I am Pope Furbus and this is the Furbian wing of the Underground Sistine Chapel” He replies solemnly. you gasp again, shocked that the Godly Long Furby would ever assist you. you ask the first question that comes to mind before you can stop myself.  
“Why do you speak English? We are in Italy!” He chuckles knowingly and gazes pensively in the distance.  
“Oh, dear human, all Long Furbies speak through their heart, not through worldly language. We do much more than you can possibly imagine…” He says while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. ‘What could he mean by that?’ you wonder, ‘Can he fly? Can he teleport?’ Pope Furbus laughs again, confusing you until he says “We can do all of that, and more! Oh! And we can read minds!”.   
“Oh,” you say, blushing as you recall intensely admiring his fur earlier, hoping he didn’t notice. Then, you feel the light touch of a Furby hand on your forehead and then your headache disappears.   
“All better!” He says as he starts to slink away. “You shall stay here until tomorrow, (Y/N). you apologize on behalf of my minions for injuring you so,” he says as he makes his way to the fuzzy door. you quickly avert my eyes after you realize you were staring and soon drifted off into a relaxing sleep.

For the second time in a row, you woke up to the glorious Long Furby standing above you, looking somewhat troubled. “Is everything alright?” you ask him, worried that something has happened.  
“Not yet, but a plague shall infiltrate this land quite soon, I’m afraid. Where are you from? Hopefully, it will be safer for you there, little one”.  
“Kansas, Your Furbiness. I am supposed to return next week”.  
“We best get you home now, before this situation gets any worse,” he says. “And I have another skill that shall assist us!” he adds with a wink. He places his hand on yours and your heartbeat quickens with the contact. “Kansas!” He shouts and then you feel like you are getting pulled inside out.  
You wake up in the middle of a wheat field near your home. you look around, expecting to find the Long Furby beside you, but he is nowhere to be found. “Pope Furbus! Pope Furbus! Where are you!” you scream, tearing through the dead wheat in search for him.  
“Over here!” you hear him hoarsely whisper. you find him in a ball, covered in dirt, with cuts and bruises everywhere.  
“Oh my darling pope! What happened!”  
“Kansas was a little further away than I thought it was, (Y/N)” he replies with a weak smile before he passes out. Grateful that he was too weary to read your mind, all you could think about is that even covered in dirt, he is the most beautiful creature you have ever laid eyes upon. you pick up the injured Furby and carefully carry him to your farm.

The next day, Pope Furbus wakes up in a fitting turn of events, this time with you nervously peering at him. He gingerly tries to move himself through the makeshift straw bed, but flops in exhaustion from the effort. “Can I help you get more comfortable, Pope?” you ask him.  
“Please do. And you can just call me Furbus. We have been through quite a bit, haven’t we,” he says. you help straighten his tail into a more comfortable position. “Alas, you think tomorrow I must be on my way to my homeland to restore my power. It won’t be quite as difficult to get there, but I must ask, will you accompany me and share some of your energy for the journey?” He asks you.   
“Of course, Po- um- Furbus!”   
“Thank you dear!” He responds. ‘I should be the one thanking him,’ you think, as you are all too eager to spend more time with His Furbiness.


	2. Chapter 2: A Squishy Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (YN) and Pope Furbus go to Thneedville!

The following day, you both prepared for the journey. After a nice bath in the creek and some scrambled eggs, Furbus took your hand like he did once before but this time you felt him draw on some of your energy, and then you were whisked away to another land. It wasn’t quite as tiring, and as soon as you landed, you found Furbus once again. You have never seen a place like this before; the grass feels softer than any Kansas grass and was luminescent lime green. The sky is colored in every shade from orange to blue to purple like an impressionist painting. However, the most shocking aspect of the landscape is the trees. Thin and graceful trunks reach high above the skyline to treetops that look as if they are covered in red, yellow, orange, and pink cotton candy. Each tree dances in the wind and small tufts of the treetops blow around in the breeze. “Wow!” you breathe, barely able to contain your excitement and curiosity. “Where are we?”  
“Welcome to Thneedville!” Being in this place seemed to restore some of his lively personality. “I see that you like the Truffula trees,” he notes as he skims my thoughts. “And they are not just beautiful. They are the power source behind all Furbies”. As he says this, you notice small mechanical eyes and beaks, not unlike Furbus’s, peak out from one of the trees.   
“Wow!” you repeat as the Furbies nestle into the tree they call their home.  
“To fully restore my power, I must return to my home Truffula tree. It is just this way,” so we begin our journey.  
The walk is long and draining through the rolling hills of Thneedland and you are woefully out of breath, but Furbus seems to be in his element. “We still have quite a ways to go. Care for a ride?” He asks, obviously noting your exhaustion.  
“Um, sure,” you reply as you gently climb onto his back. Soon we are going faster than you were before; you notice he must have slowed his pace earlier for your sake. The sun falls lower behind the Truffula trees and the sky glows even deeper orange. The gentle rhythm of Furbus’s gliding soon lulls you to sleep.  
“This is it!” He says, waking you from slumber. you look up to see what must be the tallest Truffula tree in all of Thneedville. “Hold on!” He warns you as he begins to climb toward the treetop. Seeing the ground from this height would usually scare you, but Furbus makes you feel safe. you sink your fingers into his thick fur, subconsciously thankful to be so close to him.   
From the top of the tree, you see a pristine river running through the bright grasses and the stars are reflected through the calmness of it. “It’s… breathtaking up here,” you whisper as you take in all the scenery. “Why did you ever come to Italy? Isn’t it more relaxing up here?”   
“That it is, but as Furbies, we all have responsibilities to human society. While this place is heavenly, we cannot stay here forever. We must do our part,” He explains. ‘What kind of responsibilities?’ you wonder, but you keep my mouth shut and leave Furbus to his mysteries. “Sleep now, (Y/N), we have much to do tomorrow,” Furbus whispers into my ear as we cuddle close to keep warm. “Goodnight, little human”.  
“G’night”.

You awake to the sun rising over lovely Thneedville. Everything is coated in golden morning dew and birds sing without a care in the world. you are still safely nestled with Furbus, who seems to be waking up as well. “Ready for the day?” He asks. You just smile.

“To fully regain one’s Furbian power, one must dance above his home Truffula and sing the Furbian Offering Tune. And my favorite part, the human sacrifice! That’s where you come in!” you just laugh nervously, hoping he is joking. “Heh heh heh! I’m just kidding ya! It’s been years since they’ve done one of those, and you’re too sweet to sacrifice!” Well, that’s a relief. You watch as he rises above you and the tips of the truffula trees and he’s… floating? “Ooooohm,” he closes his eyes and wraps himself into a small meditative ball. Then he begins to sing and twirl about through the sky.

“Oh blessed Truffula  
My blessed home  
Bless me with thine power   
‘Fore I return to Rome

Give me strength to carry  
Thine blessed will  
And when I’m weak once more  
Carry me still”  
At the last note, a strike of pink lightning came upon us and struck Furbus and his tree. His fur stood on edge and a halo seemed to encircle his fuzzy head. He looked almost like a god, floating up there. Then he looked at you with shocked eyes.  
“Oh fudge!” He exclaims as he returns to you in his angelic state. Soon, you realized what he is shocked about is you: you turned into a stuffie! “Well, that should be temporary, but I suppose I should have left you on the ground for this, (Y/N)…” Despite his worries, all you can feel is power!   
You begin hopping as you take in your new form. You appear to look like a yellow and orange patterned pillow with giraffe patterns, but you have no long neck or legs… just little nubby limbs. “I should explain to you the specifics of your… situation. It shall fade by when the sun sets, but as of now, you are a Garian squishy; the rarest of them all. Even though you will return back to normal at the end of the day, you will forever be connected to the god Gary for the rest of your days”. You pale, worried about what that could mean, but Furbus senses it and quickly reassures you. “Don’t worry, (Y/N), Gary is one of the good squishies and will only protect you and give you power. However, the other squishies will sense this and may target you, but I will keep you safe!”   
“Power? What kind of pow- ACHOO!” You sneeze, but it is no normal sneeze; you sneeze out a rainbow!  
“For starters, you can breathe rainbows but it seems you have figured that out. We best start your training then!”


	3. Chapter 3: A Mean Martine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our 2 faves meet a scheming llama.

“How is this teaching me about my superpowers?” You ask while giggling.

“Patience, young human. Just do as I say!” Furbus watches me with pride as you continue climbing up and down the truffula tree. You would think that your hands should be raw and sore from going at this for the better part of the last hour, but the truffula bark is oddly soothing and relaxing while being easy to grip. “Climb all the way down this time, (YN). I think you are ready!”. As soon as your feet are back on the soft grass, your Long Furby friend beckons you towards him. “Now try again!”.

“Wh-what?” You thought you were done with that! “I just finished!”.

“Now do it here! Just without the tree. Just trust me, (YN)”. You start pretending to climb a tree, still looking like a stubby giraffe stuffed animal. You think you are going to look stupid, but to your surprise, you start to ascend into the air. “That’s it, my friend! Gary is a giraffian spirit, but as you may have noticed in his form, Gary does not have a long neck or legs. This is how he reaches a giraffy height!”. Soon, you have climbed higher than the truffula tree and you feel all-powerful. “Come back down and let's see what else you can do! Here! Pick up one of the fallen truffula tufts”. He grabs himself a tuft of his own and starts to demonstrate what he wants you to do. He squeezes it in his fist and presses it upward as he flattens his palm. “Try to propel it as high as possible”. His pink truffula fluff ascends far into the sky and then gently floats to the ground. You do the same, and each time, your truffula gets higher and higher. “Now with emotion! Think of your happiest memories as you do it!”

“Woah! It’s… it’s…” A vibrant rainbow wave radiates from your palm and ruffles the truffula trees as it makes its way outwards.

“That’s it! That’s it!” Furbus jumps up and down excitedly as your rainbow gets stronger and stronger. “As you can see, Gary does like his rainbows! This is one of his more unique superpowers.”

“Yes, well what does it do?”

“A great many things, (YN). It depends on your intent. It can act as a shield and protect, attack if you are in danger, heal, and my favorite, you can make your target dance! Try that last one on me!”. You send him a rainbow and think of a fantastic Long Furby jig.

“YIPEE!!!” He screams as he spins round and round to a silent beat. Both of you laugh merrily as you send him rainbow vibes until a creature that has the same shape as your stuffie self, but with the telltale ears of a llama, sneaks up on you both. You freeze, and Furbus stops his dancing immediately. “Martine.” Furbus growls as his eyes narrow.

“We meet again.” The llama whispers. His smooth voice is quiet but seems to fill the air with tension. “I wanted to meet this new friend of yours”. He says. You have a bad feeling about this.

“Stay away from (YN). They don’t have any interest in your ideology, Martine”.

“I thought we could have a quick chit chat. I could sense a great power in Thneedville that I just had to visit. I thought we could be friends, (YN).” Furbus looks at me with worry in his eyes.

“I didn’t want to get into politics, but you see, (YN), Martine has been visiting your land and I fear that he is the cause of the plague. His power, while not as strong as Gary’s,” Martine scoffs and gives Furbus a side eye, “gives him the ability to create new strands of diseases. He grows only more powerful through fear, so this outbreak seems to be serving him quite nicely”.

“You!” You say. “You are infecting my land for what, party tricks?”.

“I see why you may think that, but you have so much to gain as well, child of Gary”.

“He just wants you for your power!” Furbus screams. “He knows your potential! Don’t let him sway you!”. You have never seen him so impassioned.

“Join me, and that tacky rainbow of yours will become so much more! We can use it to spread the plague and gain ULTIMATE POWER!”

“I will not stand for this anymore!” You scream..At that moment, you remember what all this is about: your power.

“BE GONE!” You scream as you expel potent rainbows toward your foe. He is zipped backward into the depths of Thneedville.

“I’ll see you very soon, I suspect” Martine calls back to us as he is whisked away.

“You are quite powerful, but he will find us again. We best be on our way before he comes back here and you transform back to your human form. You may still have your powers, but the journey will be quite tiring on your human legs!”. At that, you are both on your way to find a new campsite in Thneedville.


	4. Chapter 4: A Special Cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Furbus find some friends in a cave deep in the heart of Thneedville.

The sunrise over Thneedville is breathtaking. You are so amazed by the sky, that you hardly notice the cave you and Furbus approach. You have been walking all night, and as soon as you transformed back into your human self, Furbus carried you on. “This should be a good stopping place!” Furbus says, and at that moment, you notice the vast expanse of cave in front of you both.  
“Where are we?”  
“This is the home of a few old friends,” he says as you both enter the cave. A short orange furby and a tall human sit on some makeshift cushions fashioned from the Truffula tufts.  
“Furbus! My dear friend! What brings you here!” The little orange fluffball asks.   
“My friend (YN) has just been adopted as a child of Gary, and we are here to seek refuge from Martine’s tireless plot to take (YN) for his own dark agenda”. The orange furby turns to you and looks you deep in the eyes.  
“Hello, (YN). I am Lorax, and my friend and I have been fighting Martine for a very long time, but he is too powerful for us to make any progress. Maybe with your help, we can finally take him down”.   
“Me? But I- I have hardly any experience!”  
“But you have potential and heart,” he says as he stretches his tiny hand to his heart. “Martine’s efforts have hurt many, but we can stop him with your help”. Then his tall friend strolled over to you. His long, lanky arms swayed gently. He must give very nice hugs, you think to yourself.  
“We all have unique gifts and even though we aren’t perfect, we do what we can to protect your homeland. I am from there as well, and Martine’s plague breaks my heart. I hope we can end this once and for all!” You open your mouth to respond, but before a word comes out he adds, “Ooops! I almost forgot! I am Once-ler!”   
“Nice to meet you, Once-ler! While I am happy to do anything to stop Martine, I don’t think I quite understand this war. How can we stop him?” If he is powerful enough to start a plague that is ripping through nations, how could 2 furbies and 2 humans do anything to get everything back to normal?  
“It is quite interesting, the power of the squishies. While some like Gary are exceptionally strong, conflicts like this that are rooted in two distinctly contrasting moral positions cannot just be ‘won’ by 1 side overpowering the other. It has to be mutual; to defeat Martine’s darkness, we must convince him to stop plaguing our land, and he must do so willingly. Lorax and I have just been around for too long for him to listen to us, but maybe you can sway him more. There are still physical battles, but it is the heart that has the most power for this one”. Once-ler’s piercing blue pools pleaded into your somber (EC) orbs and at that minute, you know that this is your destiny. Soon, you notice that Once’er starts to fidget with the tufts. His fingers are masterful and it looks like they are well-trained at some tactile trade. His eyes dart back and forth and you can see a deep longing in his soul windows as he turns his gaze to the fluff in his hand.  
Breaking up the intensity in the air, Lorax warmly calls out to you. “Come, (YN)! We have much to show you!”. You follow him to one of the tunnels in the cave. The tufts of Truffula emit a soft glow that lights your way. “This is my room,” Lorax gestures to a tiny offshoot from the cave on his left. “And this is Once’er’s. You both can take those rooms across from us!”. The 2 rooms for you and Furbus replicate the others. There is a colorful pad of Truffula fluff as a bed and some primitive furniture made from Truffula wood. So that must be Once’ler’s work, you assume after noticing his reverence for the Truffula.   
“Did you make this?” You ask in awe. Once’ler just blushes and glances down to his feet.  
“He sure-as-a-squishy did! He has always been quite passionate about the amazing Truffula tree, but with the constant conflict against his homeland, he has little time to pursue it. Still, each day he tends to a nursery of baby Truffula to ensure he plants more than he harvests. It is just about time to check on them. Care to join us?” You nod eagerly, excited to see the passionate crafter at work.  
You accompany the other 3 down a new exit of the cave. It opens up to the most luscious garden covered in small Truffula bushes. Each plant has support beams lovingly placed to ground the tiny trees. Once’ler goes over to the nearest plant and waves his hand over the plant. A light pink liquid falls from his hand and soaks into the plant. Once’ler’s whole body relaxes as if he was meditating. He hums a little tune and the truffula seems to sway to his voice. “What’s happening?” You whisper to Lorax.   
“Onece’ler’s powers help him nurture the Truffulas. That is the Truffulan rose elixir. It helps them grow up strong. He also can talk the them. He wasn’t always as attuned to the natural world as he is now, but with my teaching, he has taken to it quite enthusiastically!” He winks as he chuckles about his protégé and you continue to watch the dedicated Truffula Nurturer with great fervor.


	5. Chapter 5: A Sticky Martinian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A duel between our favorite squad and Martine ensues.

Crash! You wake up from your soft Truffulan bed at the sound of a great explosion. “Peekaboo I see you!”. The sneaky llama screams into the cave and his voice echoes off the harsh walls. Once-ler, Lorax, and Furbus must have woken up before you, because they were all standing guard right outside your door. You rush to join them.   
“They’re here,” Once-ler whispers as he looks back and forth for the perpetrators. “Prepare your rainbows, (YN). We are going to need all the power we can get”. He runs toward the entrance of the cave and the rest of you follow, but after he gets close enough to see the situation, he stops dead in his tracks.   
“This is worse than we thought! Fight with all you have!” Lorax’s battle cry starts the action. You rush to the entrance and see Martine laughing maniacally while surrounded by what looked like mini Martines. Each small Martine bore a dark mask covering all but their eyes.   
“ATTACK MY MARTINIANS!” Martine screeches to his followers and they start clucking, or what you eventually could tell was a high-pitched cough. You chuckle a bit thinking about the harmlessness of a few coughing mini llamas but your laugh is cut off by Furbus.   
“Do not underestimate this, (YN), this is how Martine spreads the plague. We thought his manpower was isolated in your land, but he has grown”. Once-ler turns to us all and tosses us what looks like surgical masks but the covering is made of fluffy Truffula tufts. Then he claps his hands and we are all suddenly clad in what looks like flaming orange, striking pink, and bright yellow fluffy hazmat suits.  
“I thought these might come in handy someday. You’re lucky that I always make extras, (YN)!”. Martine looked a little disappointed by the new development, but soon, a satanic grin graced his features.  
“Lets, take this to a level 2, my minions!” The Martinians begin to surround you all individually and bite at your ankles. You shoot rainbows at them all, but it only slows them down, and they come back with the same strength.  
“I can’t resist them forever! What do I do?” You scream to your squad.  
“INTENT!” Furbus hollars back to you. Suddenly, you know exactly what needs to be done. You direct a rainbow at all of the stuffies and instead of trying to defend yourself, you try to bring them together. They all meld together into one Mega Martine that is even larger than the Truffula trees. Real Martine starts to look confused and then he darts behind a tree when he sees what you do next. You send a rainbow, but this time it is not fueled by anger or hate, but of friendship. The large Martinian creature hops to you and starts peeping joyously. The rest of your team watches in awe as you bring this creature to your side. She crouches down so you can climb onto her back, and like a wild-western cowgirl, you ride toward Martine.   
“Listen to me you little oafs! Trample them!” But the Martinians are much too excited to do anything of the sort. He looks up to you with slight resignation. “I suppose we should negotiate… We seemed to have come to a standstill”.  
“Standstill!?!? I am winning, thank you very mu-” but you are cut off by Martine waving and you realize what one of his powers is. A sticky goop that resembles truffula sap sticks you to the Martinian and the rest of your squad is now stuck to the cave.   
“Not anymore, are you, (YN)! And your friends can’t help you now!”. You see your friends wiggling and fighting the sticky sap to no avail. “Lets go… have a chat, shall we?”. The Martinian slowed in her excitement and soon fell back under Martine’s control without the positive rainbow power. “Come along,” he called to the Martinian so we were off.  
You travelled for hours and hours in silence until you came to a hole dug into the side of a hill. “Welcome home, (YN)! I would not like to think of this as a hostage situation… but more of a collaboration, if you will”.  
“I will not, Martine! Why would I help you destroy my home!” You feel the angry rainbows striving to break through the sap.  
“You will find that power is addictive. Intoxicating. I think we shall see eye to eye soon enough”. At that, he motions you into the hill. It is surprisingly luxurious. It reminds you of a Rococo palace but instead of gold, the place was furnished with ornate Truffula furniture, decorations, and walls. He opens one of the passages and nudges the Martinian in it. Then, he releases the goop and you fall to the ground. Before you can stand back up, he directs the Martinian out and locks the door. “I don’t think we will achieve much today. I shall fetch you tomorrow to see if we can come to an agreement. Have a lovely evening, (YN)”.  
“You filthy little de-”, but your voice falls off as you hear his footsteps leave in a hurry. Well this is not how I imagined today would go you think to yourself. You find a luxurious bed and try to get some sleep to conserve your power for what you assume will be a very trying day.


	6. Chapter 6: A Sneaky Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary to the rescue! A change of heart in Martine.

Chapter 6: A Sneaky Escape  
You wake up in a mysterious room in a luxurious bed, the events of yesterday slowly coming back to you. The sunlight softly fills the room and you approach the door. You reach out with your fist to bang on it but the door swings open and instead of the door, your fist runs into Martine’s nose.”Hrumph!” he grunts as you punch him in the nose.   
“I’m sor- oh wait! I am NOT SORRY! You kidnapped me!” you scream as you send him across the room with a rainbow. He just chuckles.as he brings himself back to you.  
“Yes. Sorry about that, (YN), but we have some discussing to do. Follow me, if you would, and don’t try to run out. The entrance is closed off and your rainbows, while powerful, can’t blast through”. Even though you are still angry, your curiosity gets the better of you and you follow Martine through a maze of caves until you are in a large, empty room. “Just humor me and try this. Take my hand, and on the count of three, send a blast of rainbow to the wall”. You hesitantly follow his directions and take his hand. “One, two, three!” You send a rainbow, but there is more. Along with Marine, lightning bolts sear through the rainbow and crack the wall on impact. You feel warmth spreading through your body that you crave.   
“This,” he gestures to the damage and then to you, “is barely a taste of what we could do, what we could be. Isn’t the power enticing, delectable?” he says, in a low, quiet voice.   
“I refuse! I was not given this power to hurt my people! I will not be seduced by the darkness!”. Martine just chuckles. “Imagine: hundreds of Martinians roaming the earth with your power growing as it runs through them.We can be gods, (YN), and if you wanted, after the plague takes over, you can use the new power you have gained to heal the people and you would be worshipped”.  
“People will die, Martine! I won’t sacrifice my people just for the sake of my power. You could be better than this! I believe that there is good in you”. The last words come off as a whisper. At his name, Martine’s shield seemed to falter, and you realize this could be the end. You could get to Martine and bring him to the light. You set your hand on his heart and send warm rainbows into him. Tears run down his face and through his fur as the rainbow pushes to him.  
“I, I think I understand,” he says meekly. “I feel like there is something more in me than before, like a vacuum that has suddenly been filled”.  
“That’s your heart, Martine, and by the looks of it, it grew 3 sizes. Please tell me that you can see why I can’t join your cause. Can’t you see that there is power in love just as much as there is power in fear? Maybe even more”.   
“I see. I would like to seek out this power of love. Will you assist me?” He asks shyly.  
“Of course! We will start together by letting my land heal. Then you can join my friends and me! We are journeying through Thneedvi-,”   
“CRASH!”. Both you and Martine look to the entrance of a cave and a glowing giraffe is charging towards you.   
“G-G-Gary? Is that you?” you ask. The giraffe nods and smiles at you affectionately as he gets between you and Martine. He turns to Martine with a glare.  
“Hello, old friend. I believe you have taken one of my friends”. Martine backs up sheepishly.  
“Oh, Gary, I did, but (YN) has shown me the error of my ways and I want nothing more than to aid (YN) and (YN)’s friends”. Gary looks shocked, but then backs up.  
“Is this true, (YN), will he help us?”.  
“I believe he will”.   
“Well then, we should still be returning to your friends so we can all overpower the plague and help heal your land, “ so you, Martine, and Gary all exit the cave and begin the long journey home.


	7. Chapter 7: A Tiresome Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You, Martine, and Gary make your way back to the cave, but first, you must overcome an obstacle.

“Eesh, Martine, did your hideout have to be so far out in the middle of nowhere?” you grumble as you force one foot after the other. Gary and Martine, however, show no signs of the exhaustion that you feel.  
“You must admit that it was pretty effective though,” he responds with a wink. Gary and Martine have seemed to become an unusual pair of friends amidst your misery. The day is still young, but suddenly, the sky darkens and a cool stillness feels the air.  
“I have a bad feeling about this…”, Gary looks around somewhat nervously. “I think a sto-”   
“CRASH!” Gary’s warning is interrupted by a strike of lightning immediately followed by booming thunder.  
“Quick! Under the Truffula!” Martine calls to you both and you dash for cover under the tree. “Thneedville storms tend to sneak up on us, (YN), but this one seems exceptionally strong”. The clouds begin to swirl and droop lower, and your heart begins to race. As a Kansan, you know all about tornadoes.   
“We have to get to the lowest point possible. This could get bad,” you scream over the wind as you lead the squishies downhill. Rain is beating down on your head and obscuring your vision. Truffula tufts are flying everywhere and tree trunks are swaying precariously. One Truffula is uprooted as easily as a dandelion and barrels toward you all. You reach out your hands and send a rainbow thrusting it away from you.   
“Thanks,” Martine squeaks out of fear. The llama did not look comfortable coated in water and Truffula fluff. You would have laughed if you weren’t so scared.   
“Martine, this could be a good time to test our powers together to stop this. Gary, maybe you could help too!” You suggest, so you all three come together and raise your hands to the sky. You feel power like you have never felt before as the rainbow shoots from your hand but now it is traced by a bright light and it runs into some sort of prism that refracts it across the sky. At the contact, the clouds break and a sunny rainbow fills the sky.   
“Woah…” Gary breathes, “That was some pretty powerful stuff”. You all just sit in silence and awe. Soon, your mind drifts back to Furbus and his soft fur. You wish to be warm and dry and in his comforting embrace.   
“Let’s keep going, shall we,” you say, preferring the exhaustion knowing that each step is a step closer to Furbus.  
The path is muddy and covered in torn Truffulas. You think back to Once-ler’s baby Truffula plants and hope that they are still intact. Soon, you notice the familiar backdrop of Lorax’s cave. You leave the squishies and forget about everything as you run to Furbus. Your feet sink into every step but you don’t care. You track mud into the cave, but don’t stop until you run to Furbus with open arms.  
“I missed you!” You whisper as you catch your breath. Furbus’s initial surprised face melts into relief.  
“I was so worried, (YN). I was so scared that I lost you before I could- I could tell you that I love you”. You see him blush under his fur and smile warmly.  
“I love you too, my sweet Furbus,” you respond before he gently places a kiss on your forehead. This time, you blush. You notice Once-ler and Lorax entering and you run to hug them, and then Gary and Martine enter the cave.   
“MARTINE!” Furbus screams angrily, “YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!”.  
“Please forgive me. I see the error in my ways and wish only to help you and (YN). (YN) has saved me and I am forever in (YN)’s debt,” he says meekly. Furbus seemed to calm slightly as he approached Gary.  
“I must say, I am relieved to see you, old friend. If Martine is truly on our side, and you are willing to help, we might have a chance of beating this plague”. Gary nods in agreement and you realize that the power that the five of you will create will be immense and unstoppable.


	8. Chapter 8: An Important Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad fights the plague!

“Oooof!”. Along with Gary, Martine, Furbus, Once-ler, and Lorax, you climb up a truffula tree and get bumped into by your friends.   
“This is a bit of a tight fit, but if we want to stop the plague, we all need to get up here!” Furbus explains. You all had formulated the plan last night to knock out the cloud of virus that had been closing in on your land. You all sit in a circle and the sun beat down on all of your faces. “Are we ready?”, Furbus asks. Everyone quickly nods. Lorax smiles at you reassuringly and you all begin. First, Furbus focuses like he is about to teleport, but instead, does something greater: He tears a hole and Thneedville right to your Kansas home! The amazement turns into fear when you notice a sickly yellow cloud covering your land.   
“This is worse than I thought,” you whisper to yourself as you take in the scene. You take Martine’s hand and you both reach toward Kansas. Your combined powers send out flying rainbow Martinians that send out rays that dissipated the yellowish clouds. Then, Once-ler uses his growing power on the Martinians and they swell into giant llamas, taking on more and more of the cloud.   
“EXCELLENT!” Lorax shouts over the commotion. He begins whispering what sounds to you like nonsense and then the view of Kansas begins zooming out and rotating like he was spinning the globe. The Martinians grow larger and larger and the cloud starts to fade. Soon, it is gone and you all collapse back on the Truffula tree in utter exhaustion. The tear fuses back together and you all fall asleep.  
“(YN)? Are you awake?” Furbus gently jostles you into consciousness. Everyone else is already awake and watching you intently. “Thank you. We couldn’t have done this without your help”. You just smile back and look around to everyone else.  
“I especially am so grateful, (YN). Without you, I would not have known love without you. I am indebted forever,” Martine says.  
“But I must thank you all! You saved my home… although I must say, Thneedville feels like my home now”. Furbus’s eyes lit up and a light blush crept on his face.  
“Well, um, since I am done with my days in Italy, would you maybe want to stay?” Furbus asks quietly. You throw your arms around your long furby friend and hold him tightly.  
“Of course! I don’t think I could leave this place!” you say as you send little rainbows straight to Furbus’s heart, which he received with a chuckle. Everyone watches you two amusedly as you hug.   
“Now that it’s settled, should we go back to the cave?” Lorax suggests. You all stumble down the tree and make your way back to the cave. As usual, when you got too tired, Furbus carried you the rest of the way to the cave. When you arrived with your friends that have become your family, you realize that you have found home.


End file.
